Tags: Disease.
The VACTERL association (also VATER syndrome) refers to the non-random co-occurrence of birth defects Vertebral anomalies Anal atresia Cardiac defects Tracheoesophageal fistula and/or Esophageal atresia Renal & Radial anomalies and Limb defects. The reason it is called an association rather than a syndrome is that while the complications are not pathogenically related they tend to occur together more frequently than expected by chance.
